Moon Desk: A senior Indian diplomat faced confrontation from pro-Khalistan Sikhs at a Gurdwara in New York, leading to his abrupt departure from the place of worship. The activists questioned the diplomat, Taranjit Sandhu, about his alleged role in a failed Indian state plot to assassinate Sikh leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a prominent figure associated with Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and the global Khalistan Referendum campaign.
Pro-Khalistan Sikhs, led by Himmat Singh at Hicksville Gurdwara in New York, confronted Ambassador Taranjit Sandhu over his alleged involvement in the failed assassination plot against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The activists also accused Sandhu of India’s role in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the President of Surrey Gurdwara and the coordinator for the Canadian Chapter of the Khalistan Referendum.
The questioning in public agitated the diplomat, prompting him to abruptly leave the Gurdwara without providing any answers to the raised questions. Diplomat Sandhu hastily departed the scene, avoiding further engagement with the pro-Khalistan Sikhs. “I only wanted answers from ambassador Sandhu as to why India is using violence to stop the global Khalistan Referendum voting,” stated Himmat Singh who heads the East Coast Coordination Committee.
“American constitution gives US Citizens the right to peacefully question anyone irrespective of their affiliation or position in the government,” stated Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, SFJ General Counsel who was the target of India’s assassination plot foiled by US intelligence. “Despite India’s attempt to assassinate me, Khalistan Referendum Voting will continue and the American Phase is going to start from January 28, 2024 in San Francisco, California,” stated Pannun.
The confrontation follows the recent revelation of a thwarted Indian conspiracy to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil. The US authorities issued a warning to the Indian government over its alleged involvement in the plot according to multiple people familiar with the case who spoke to the Financial Times (FT).
FT revealed the intelligence people familiar with the case said the Indian government was behind the scheme targeting Pannun, who has been spearheading the Khalistan Referendum campaign. The FT said that one person familiar with the situation said the US protest was issued after Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a high-profile state visit to Washington in June.
According to FT US federal prosecutors have filed a sealed indictment, separate from the diplomatic warning, against at least one alleged perpetrator of the plot in a New York district court.
The department is considering whether to unseal the indictment and make the allegations public or await the completion of Canada’s investigation into Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder, a Canadian Sikh separatist linked to the case. In September, Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there was “credible intelligence” linking New Delhi to Nijjar’s fatal shooting”.
